Need serious ankle support...

[tirebob]

I have one ankle that has been stretched out bad since being a teen and finally broke it for real this summer and now I have severely sprain and rolled the other and now is stretched to fuck as well. It has gotten to the point where I roll my ankle(s) daily by doing as little as stepping on the edge of carpet or uneven snow surfaces or whatever.

I have tried compression braces with zero success. At work I wear Redwing 2412 8 inch high boots and that works great but that is not practical for every day life. I need to find some good braces that I can wear every day with normal shoes like Nikes, dress shoes etc.

Do any of you have experience with this? Anywhere in town yu would recommend I can try some different options? Hunting online I am left a bit uncertain...

[lee88]

I broke my right ankle last summer which required surgery. Since then i tried many compression and braces also and i found Bauerfiend malleo train s to work the best for me. http://www.bauerfeind.ca/en/products...oses/foot.html
Co-op medical store mcleod trial carries Bauerfeind and you can test fit which one works best for you
I wear my brace with many different type of shoes with no issues. hope that helps. Speedy recovery Bob!

[sexualbanana]

Adidas has some ankle speedwraps that i've used in the past. I think I've seen them at Sport Chek before. They're not very hefty, so it can be worn pretty easily with other shoes.

[gretz]

Here it comes Bob... Stretching / rotations, strengthening exercises, restless leg syndrome helps lol

Get her strong, braces and compression socks for going out and about for the what if's, i've tried my hardest not to let my body depend on these apparati (lol) but i'm also a bit of a freak / brain to feeling isn't always present lol

[AndyL]

K-tape

Most pharmacy and sport check etc sell it. Figure out what works and run with it. (Google will provide 100pages of tips on how to wrap it for support)

[tirebob]

Originally posted by gretz
Here it comes Bob... Stretching / rotations, strengthening exercises, restless leg syndrome helps lol

Get her strong, braces and compression socks for going out and about for the what if's, i've tried my hardest not to let my body depend on these apparati (lol) but i'm also a bit of a freak / brain to feeling isn't always present lol

I hear you but the fact is the cartilage in my ankle is so far gone and the muscles are so stretched out that I will never get back to better than 50 percent even with physio, so unless I want to become completely sedentary and end up never able to walk again, braces will keep me active. I hate it but it is a fact. It is a weird feeling knowing that I have to concentrate and focus on my foot placements with every single step I take and I hate it. I feel like I am a cripple...

[tirebob]

This is the kind of idea I have been thinking might be beneficial...

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by tirebob
I hear you but the fact is the cartilage in my ankle is so far gone and the muscles are so stretched out that I will never get back to better than 50 percent even with physio, so unless I want to become completely sedentary and end up never able to walk again, braces will keep me active. I hate it but it is a fact. It is a weird feeling knowing that I have to concentrate and focus on my foot placements with every single step I take and I hate it. I feel like I am a cripple...

If it's as bad as you're describing you should likely be looking at rigid articulating braces. Probably something medical grade... Will likely cost a bit but benefits should cover some of the cost. You should likely get a referal to something like http://www.footanklepain.ca/home and then get something made up for you to wear. If that is what is required.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by AndyL
K-tape

Most pharmacy and sport check etc sell it. Figure out what works and run with it. (Google will provide 100pages of tips on how to wrap it for support)

K-Tape is so bloody expensive though!

Plus, repeated use would probably be hell on the skin.

[tirebob]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


If it's as bad as you're describing you should likely be looking at rigid articulating braces. Probably something medical grade... Will likely cost a bit but benefits should cover some of the cost. You should likely get a referal to something like http://www.footanklepain.ca/home and then get something made up for you to wear. If that is what is required.

Thanks for that link man... I am going to speak to my GP about maybe setting me up with a referral. I would prefer to avoid surgery but I am at the end of my rope with the fucking ankles! Growing older sucks...

[mr2mike]

Definitely get talking to those guys. Haverstock, Russell or Le are very good at what they do.

I've had 4 ankle surgeries. All sports related and the second one was always to repair or fix the inital surgical issue.
All have rehabed to better than what I expected but you need to stick with the programs that are given to you.

I can't speak for your "loose" tendons, issue. I had a loose tendon which floated on the bone so surgery repaired that soft tissue and there is a hook in there to hold it all in place. I don't even notice that it's there and it's been probably 10 years.

Barring that, I still stretch them almost every day in the shower.

Consider maybe a wobble board. One, to help range of motion through the whole ankle joint. Also to stand on to help build up ankle strength. I know you don't think so, but until one of those specialists tells you, I think strengthening is the route. Also the bands. wrap one around your desk and everyday do a few sets of exercises.

As well, yep, your vision does drop when you walk and you're much more focused on the ground when walking. Probably took me a few years after each injury to get back to confidence in my step.

Side note: I don't use any braces because I hated how they feel.
Ankles are different than knees with the range of motion they require. Knee braces are easy, ankle braces are not.

[klumsy_tumbler]

I would echo much of mr2mike has said above.

I have also had 4 ankle sugeries (should we start a club or something?), two on each ankle.

A brace will ABSOLUTELY help from a stability standpoint. You're going to want to look for one that actually focuses on stability vs. compression. Unfortunately, you'll be sacrificing bulkiness for support. Kind of like the one that you posted, you'll want to look for something that mimics how an athlete would have their ankle(s) taped for maximum stability (stirrups, heel locks, etc). I would suggest something like this:
https://www.activeforever.com/med-sp...kle-stabilizer

I have a couple of those myself, both of which were used when I was A) First coming out of the casts and B) Returning to sport when likelihood of re-injuring was increased. You can find them in pretty much every pharmacy, and they should be in the range of $40-$50 each. One note on these is that they are incredibly stiff at first and will likely take a week or two to break in.

I know that you're not optimistic about regaining proper functionality and ROM, but there are several key things that you can do that have a minimal impact on your day, but immense impact on your proprioceptive capabilities:

- Start with standing on one foot (other out in front and arms out the the side) for 30 seconds each side. Once you get the hang of that, do it with your eyes closed (seriously). More advanced steps include changing to increasingly unstable surfaces.

- Wobble board exercises. Focus on rolling around (full range of the board if your ankles have that much ROM) in slow, controlled movements. Both ways.

- Physio band exercises - ^ what he said above.

[tirebob]

Thanks guys... I am absolutely going to focus on doing strengthening exercises. A high level BJJ MMA buddy of mine also suggested riding stationary bike a lot as it will work the ankles without impact and I could definitely use the exercise. I know losing weight will be a huge help as well. I just ordered the Donjoy braces to try out as the company says they are returnable for 30 days if they do not work out so I figured it is worth a try. We will be going to Europe in just over a month as walking around on those cobbled streets has me terrified so I need to come up with something I can use in the meantime while working on strengthening.

Now I need to make an appointment with my doc and see about getting a referral to a specialist!

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by klumsy_tumbler
I would echo much of mr2mike has said above.

I have also had 4 ankle sugeries (should we start a club or something?), two on each ankle.

Haha. Wow. Exactly the same!


Tirebob:
Here's the exercises I suggest at work while sitting at desk.
http://www.somastruct.com/ankle-stre...for-pronation/

Riding bike will definitely help and it's low impact. I don't run... ever. Just bike.

Did a Europe trip a few months after one surgery and definitely was worried just like you.
Good hiking shoes (yeah, you look like a dork but do it). Or good supporting shoes.

Also found I had to elevate it in the evening just because you're on your feet a lot. Just lay the other way on the bed and toss it ontop of the headboard.
Take some anti-inflammatories too with you.

[Red@8]

Haverstock was already mentioned in this thread. He's very good at what he does.

As always I'll mention my colleague. He's arguably the best trained in Alberta. He's who I send my Alberta family to. No referral needed.

http://alpinefootankle.com